Some Camping Tips & Suggestions

Everyone loves to go camping right? But not everyone knows how to prepare for a camping trip, so here are some helpful tips & suggestions that might help make your camping adventures more fun and relaxing.

Make a list of the stuff you need on your camping trips and use it.

• It's too easy to get distracted when you are packing for your camping trip, causing you to forget important items.
• Keep your list updated - Your camping list is a reminder of the stuff you need to take on most every trip, but it can also help you to eliminate stuff you really don't need. If you find yourself taking along items that never get used (excluding emergency preparedness items), then remove them from your list. Likewise, if you discover items that you need to add then do so.

Plan your meals ahead of time. It will make cooking time much faster & easier for you if you know what you are going to cook and already have all the ingredients you need.

• Make a menu and a grocery list of all the items you'll need to prepare them. This will save you lots of time and money because when you go shopping for your groceries, you won't be just haphazardly throwing a bunch of stuff in your cart. When it comes time to cook, you'll be more organized, and you won't have a bunch of stuff left over that might spoil or go to waste at the end of your camping trip.
• You can even pre-cook some items, package them up in zip lock bags so all you'll need to do is just heat them up on the cook stove or campfire at meal time.
• Plan meals that include foods that need little or no preparation like soups, beans, hot dogs..., well, you get the picture. Less cooking time means more time for relaxing and doing the things you came camping for.

Make Campsite Reservations.

• If you are going to be camping at a popular destination during peak times (especially on weekends & holidays), making a reservation in advance is a smart move. Otherwise, you would be very lucky to find a campsite available on a Friday evening. And even if you do get lucky enough to find any vacant sites, you can bet they are not going to be your first, second or third choices. Many of the larger, more popular destinations (including National Parks, State Parks and private campgrounds), allow you to make reservations in advance.
  
• If reservations are not an option, then your next option, If you know someone who lives near the destination, you might be able to convince them to go out a day or two ahead of you and secure you a spot (there may be specific rules against doing this, but if you can do it, it will assure that you won't be stuck looking for a place to pitch a tent in the middle of the night upon your arrival).

Make sure you have any licenses, tags or other permits you'll need with you.

• If your trip is going to involve fishing or hunting, make sure you don't forget any tags, licenses, or permits that you will need. There's nothing that will screw up a good plan faster than getting to your destination out in the middle of BFE and realizing you left your license on the counter at home!
• You might want to add these items to your master list so you'll be riminded before you pull out of the driveway.

Check your camping gear before you leave to make sure that it is all still usable.

• If you haven't been out since last year, you will want to check out your camping gear to make sure that the rats didn't eat your sleeping bags or put holes in your tent. The mantles on your lantern may have broken and need replacing anyway (another item to add to your list). Batteries still good in your flash lights? check 'em out to be sure, and throw a few extras in your gear just in case.

Have a plan for some specific activities to participate in during your camping vacation.

• Plan your trips around participating in specific activities like fishing, or swimming, hiking or boating. This will help you know what specific types of gear you might need. Plus, you won't get bored after your first day of sitting around camp with nothing to do (although this may be the specific activity you plan around, and that's fine too!).
  
• Do a little research into the surrounding area to see if there are some things you might like to do on your trip. A lot of places have stuff to do in the area that you might not know about that would add to the fun you have on your trip (like river rafting, a jet boat ride, or a day hike to a hidden lake or stream full of fish just waiting to be caught!).

I hope some of these things might help you enjoy your camping adventures. I will be adding more helpful tips and suggestions to this blog and on my website, so be sure to check in every now and then. If you need gear for your camping or backpacking, you can find everything you need at Nor Cal Outdoor Supply. Go check it out!

Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment on any of my posts.

The Sun Comes Out On The North Coast

Well, after three days of solid rain, the sun finally came out and we were able to hit Samoa Dunes for a little Quad Riding.

My oldest Son Bert just bought a new Can Am DS450X and needed to get a few hour break in time, so we rode until we hurt! We had a great time, and when it was all said and done, I could hardly move.


If you live on the North Coast, the Somoa Dunes recreation area is a pretty good spot to spend the day riding through the dunes or cruising up and down the beach. There is a good spot to off load your bikes, picnic tables and fire pits for barbecuing. There are some decent trails to test out your Jeep or other small 4X4 on, and there's a rock garden called "Mini Rubicon" that you can try too. Check out some pictures here.